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Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Bentley and Vertu connect with Special Edition Android Smartphone

Bentley unveiled its first handset created in collaboration with Vertu, the manufacturer of luxury mobile phones. The ‘Vertu for Bentley’ handset, with its combination of audio performance and curated services, delivers a unique sensory experience. It is the first joint product release from the new five-year partnership of the two British luxury brands, which was announced in July.

The partnership

At the headquarters of Bentley in Crewe, Kevin Rose, Member of the Board for Sales and Marketing of Bentley Motors, said: “The partnership between Bentley and Vertu allows customers to experience the Bentley brand while out of the driving seat. The look and feel of the handset is a consequence of a strong collaboration between the Bentley and Vertu creative teams. The handset’s design and materials, when coupled with its exclusive services, integrated Bentley content and high-performance technology, embody what both Bentley and Vertu stand for, and deliver what our customers are looking for.”

“Our collaboration with Bentley unites both companies’ proud British heritage, as well as unrivalled expertise in the luxury and technology markets, to create a handset which exceeds the expectations of our mutual customer base. The result is ‘Vertu for Bentley’, a device which not only reflects sophistication and discerning taste, but also performs to an undeniably high technical standard to deliver an effortless, intuitive luxury mobile experience.”

The Design

The ‘Vertu for Bentley’ smartphone is swathed in quilted calf leather, in the classic Bentley shade of Newmarket Tan, and stitched with a diamond pattern.

The supple leather is encased in durable, yet lightweight, titanium, which features tactile diamond knurling. This detailing on the side rails is complemented by an engine-turned pattern on the handset’s titanium back plate, which opens to reveal the engraved signature of the craftsman who meticulously constructed the phone, from start to finish, at Vertu’s headquarters in Church Crookham, England.

The traditional ceramic pillow, synonymous with established Vertu handsets such as the Signature and Signature Touch collections, has been subtly remodelled to feature a sleeker pillow trim, to reflect Bentley’s elegant and sophisticated style.

Each and every ‘Vertu for Bentley’ phone celebrates the new partnership by sporting a discrete, metal Bentley ‘B’ wings motif on the face of the handset. The complimentary slip case which accompanies every ‘Vertu for Bentley’ handset, also depicts the Bentley logo, embossed on the Newmarket Tan calf leather.

The Services

The ‘Vertu for Bentley’ handset comes with the full spectrum of exclusive services which the luxury mobile phone manufacturer has become renowned for - comprising a dedicated ‘Vertu Concierge’ service, curated events and experiences via ‘Vertu Life’, and security services from ‘Vertu Certainty’ – alongside a unique ‘Vertu for Bentley’ app, which delivers exclusive Bentley content directly to the device.

This bespoke application provides customers with access to official Bentley articles, exclusive experiences, recommended routes and local chauffeur and dealer information, as well as a shortcut to the Touch Screen Remote features for Bentley Flying Spur drivers. Exclusive Bentley experiences and the latest Bentley content for owners and enthusiasts, plus Bentley dealer and service centres is also offered. In addition, the ‘Vertu for Bentley’ smartphone will feature custom start-up animation, 3D clock, 3D wallpaper and Bentley wallpapers.

The Performance

‘Vertu for Bentley’ is a high-performance smartphone using best-in-class technology with superior handcrafted materials, including grade-5 titanium, solid sapphire crystal which creates a virtually scratch-proof screen and hand-finished calf leather.

Mirroring the performance of the Vertu Signature Touch, the ‘Vertu for Bentley’ handset incorporates the full breadth of the company’s expertise. The acoustics, tuned in collaboration with Bang & Olufsen, feature Dolby Digital Plus virtual surround-sound processing and stereo speakers. As for imaging, which is such an integral part of the smartphone experience, Vertu has continued to work with Hasselblad, the world’s most renowned professional photography brand, to perfect the image-tuning of the camera.

Alongside the sterling performance of the audio and imaging, ‘Vertu for Bentley’ features wireless charging, NFC and Android™ 4.4 (KitKat) software.

The Future

This inaugural ‘Vertu for Bentley’ model is planned to be followed by a further four distinctive, luxury smartphones, each of which will encompass authentic and iconic Bentley design elements and exclusive lifestyle services.

Limited to just 2,000 pieces, the new ‘Vertu for Bentley’ smartphone is available in selected Vertu Boutiques worldwide from October, and priced from £10,700 / €12,500 / $17,100.